Patent application title: Restricting Access to Information

Abstract:

Technologies are presented herein for restricting access to information.
According to various embodiments described herein, an authorization
device is provided that includes functionality for detecting other
proximately located authorization devices. When an authorization device
detects another proximately located authorization device, authorization
data stored in the detected device is retrieved. The retrieved
authorization data is compared to stored authorization data and a
determination is made as to whether a person associated with the detected
device is authorized to receive information. The authorization device
provides an indication as to whether the person is authorized to receive
information. The authorization device may also provide an indication of
the particular information that the person is authorized to receive. The
authorization device may also be utilized to ensure that only authorized
individuals participate in a meeting and that each participant is
authorized to receive the information that is the subject of the meeting.

Claims:

1. A method for determining whether a proximately located person is
authorized to receive information, the method comprising:detecting a
proximately located authorization device associated with the person and
operative to maintain authorization data indicating whether the person is
authorized to receive the information;receiving the authorization data
from the authorization device;determining based on the received
authorization data whether the person is authorized to receive the
information; andproviding a first indication in response to determining
that the person is not authorized to receive the information.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising providing a second indication
in response to determining that the person is authorized to received the
information.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the authorization data comprises data
indicating whether the associated person is authorized to receive
information on a plurality of topics, wherein determining whether the
person is authorized to receive the information comprises determining
whether the person is authorized to receive information on each of the
plurality of topics, and wherein the method further comprises providing a
third indication in response to determining that the person is not
authorized to receive information on each of the plurality of topics.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the information comprises information
subject to a confidentiality agreement.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein detecting a proximately located
authorization device comprises detecting an authorization device located
approximately within an area within which a voice may be heard.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein detecting a proximately located
authorization device comprises transmitting a wireless signal within the
area, receiving a response to the transmitted wireless signal, and
detecting the presence of the proximately located authorization devices
based on the received response to the wireless signal.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the detecting operation is performed
periodically.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein the detecting operation is performed in
response to a user request.

9. An apparatus for determining whether a proximately located person is
authorized to receive information, the apparatus comprising:memory means
storing authorization data indicating whether an associated person is
authorized to receive the information;wireless communication means for
enabling wireless communications with one or more authorization
devices;output means for providing an indication; andprocessing means for
causing the wireless communication means to detect one or more
proximately located authorization devices, to receive authorization data
from the detected authorization devices, to determine based on the
received authorization data and the authorization data stored in the
memory means whether a person associated with a detected authorization
device is authorized to receive the information, and to provide an
indication via the output means indicating whether the person is
authorized to receive the information.

10. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the processing means is further
operative to provide an indication via the output means indicating
whether the person is not authorized to receive the information.

11. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the information comprises
information that is subject to a confidentiality agreement.

12. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the authorization data comprises
data identifying one or more confidentiality agreements under which an
associated person is authorized to receive information.

13. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the processing means is operative to
cause the wireless communication means to periodically detect any
proximately located authorization devices.

14. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the processing means is operative to
cause the wireless communication means to detect any proximately located
authorization devices in response to a user request.

15. A computer-readable medium having computer-executable instructions
stored thereon which, when executed by a computer, will cause the
computer to:receive data identifying an expected meeting
participant;identify an actual meeting participant by detecting a
proximately located authorization device, the authorization device being
associated with a participant and operative to maintain authorization
data indicating whether the associated participant is authorized to
receive information;determine whether the actual meeting participant
matches the expected meeting participant; and toprovide an indication in
response to determining that the expected meeting participant does not
match the actual meeting participant.

16. The computer-readable medium of claim 15, having further
computer-executable instructions stored thereon which, when executed by
the computer, will cause the computer to:receive the authorization data
from the detected authorization device;determine based on the
authorization data whether the actual meeting participant is authorized
to receive the information; and toprovide an indication in response to
determining that the actual meeting participant is not authorized to
receive the information.

18. The computer-readable medium of claim 17, wherein detecting a
proximately located authorization device comprises detecting an
authorization device located approximately within an area within which a
voice may be heard.

19. The computer-readable medium of claim 18, wherein detecting a
proximately located authorization device comprises transmitting a
wireless signal within the area, receiving a response to the transmitted
wireless signal, and detecting the presence of the proximately located
authorization device based on the received response to the wireless
signal.

20. The computer-readable medium of claim 19, wherein the detecting
operation is performed in response to a user request.

Description:

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001]This application relates generally to restricting access to
information. More particularly, this application relates to technologies
for ensuring that only individuals with appropriate authorization are
permitted to receive certain information.

BACKGROUND

[0002]In many organizations confidential information is provided only to
those employees and outside vendors that need access to the information.
For instance, confidential information relating to a new product in
development may be restricted to only those employees on a team that is
developing the new product. Employees that are not on the team are
prohibited from accessing the confidential information relating to the
new product. As another example, confidential information relating to a
particular client project may be restricted to only those employees
working on the project.

[0003]In order to limit the dissemination of confidential information to
only those individuals authorized to receive the information, many
organizations require employees and vendors to sign one or more
confidentiality agreements. Confidentiality agreements are legal
agreements by which the parties to the agreement agree not to disclose
information covered by the agreement, except to other individuals that
have signed similar agreements. In the employment context, this generally
means that an employee agrees not to disclose information covered by the
confidentiality agreement except to other employees that have also signed
a confidentiality agreement covering the disclosed information.
Confidentiality agreements are also referred to as non-disclosure
agreements ("NDAs"), confidential disclosure agreements ("CDAs"), and
secrecy agreements.

[0004]In many organizations, employees are required to sign a broad
confidentiality agreement at the time they are hired. Subsequently, as an
employee begins to work on various projects, they may also be required to
sign additional confidentiality agreements covering the disclosure of
confidential information related to the particular projects. Each
employee, therefore, may be covered by multiple confidentiality
agreements at any given time. As a result, it can be difficult for an
employee to know whether they may discuss a particular matter with
another employee in the company. This can result in considerable
discussion among employees regarding whether each employee has signed the
appropriate confidentiality agreement prior to discussing a matter. This
process can be very time consuming, especially in large meetings where
many employees are present. Moreover, when the mere existence of a matter
is itself confidential, an employee may be prohibited from even asking
another employee if they are covered by the appropriate confidentiality
agreement.

SUMMARY

[0005]It should be appreciated that this Summary is provided to introduce
a selection of concepts in a simplified form that are further described
below in the Detailed Description. This Summary is not intended to
identify key features or essential features of the claimed subject
matter, nor is it intended to be used to limit the scope of the claimed
subject matter.

[0006]Technologies are provided herein for restricting access to
information. In particular, according to one embodiment presented herein,
an authorization device is provided that includes functionality for
determining whether proximately located individuals are authorized to
receive confidential information, such as information covered under a
confidentiality agreement. In one embodiment, each person within an
organization would be provided an authorization device that is programmed
with authorization data identifying the information that the associated
person is authorized to receive. For instance, the authorization device
may be programmed with data identifying each of the confidentiality
agreements that the person has signed. Each person may be required to
carry his or her authorization device at all times.

[0007]According to implementations, the authorization device includes the
ability to detect other proximately located authorization devices. For
instance, each authorization device may transmit a wireless signal that
is detectable by other authorization devices within an area approximately
equivalent to the area in which a human voice may be heard. The
authorization device may periodically attempt to detect proximately
located authorization devices or may do so in response to a user request.
In this manner, each authorization device can detect other authorization
devices carried by individuals that are located within earshot. By
detecting such individuals and providing an indication regarding the
information the detected individuals are authorized to receive, an
inadvertent disclosure of confidential information to an unauthorized
person can be avoided.

[0008]When an authorization device detects another proximately located
authorization device, the authorization data stored in the detected
device is retrieved. The retrieved authorization data is compared to
stored authorization data and a determination is made as to whether the
person associated with the detected device is authorized to receive
information. For instance, in one implementation, the authorization data
comprises data identifying all of the confidentiality agreements that the
person associated with the device has signed. In this implementation, the
data identifying the confidentiality agreements is examined to determine
whether the person associated with the detected authorization device is
authorized to receive information under a particular confidentiality
agreement.

[0009]The authorization device provided herein is also operative in one
embodiment to provide an indication when a person associated with a
proximately located authorization device is not authorized to receive
information. For instance, a visible or audible indication may be
provided indicating that a person is proximately located that is not
authorized to receive information under a particular confidentiality
agreement. The authorization device may also provide an indication that a
proximately located person is authorized to receive information.
According to embodiments, the authorization device may provide an
indication of the particular information that the proximately located
person is authorized to receive. For instance, the authorization device
may identify each of the confidentiality agreements under which the
person associated with the proximately located authorization device is
authorized to receive information.

[0010]According to further embodiments of the disclosure provided herein,
the authorization device described herein can be utilized to ensure that
only individuals authorized to receive certain information are present at
a meeting. In this embodiment, data is received that identify all of the
expected participants at a meeting. This information may be retrieved
from an electronic calendar, from a user, or from another location. A
reader device is then utilized to detect any proximately located
authorization devices. For instance, the reader device may detect all
authorization devices located within a meeting room. The reader device
also retrieves data from each detected authorization device identifying
the associated person. The retrieved information identifies the actual
meeting participants. If the actual meeting participants do not match the
expected meeting participants, an indication may be provided indicating
that too many or too few persons are present at the meeting.

[0011]The data retrieved by the reader may also be utilized to ensure that
each of the actual meeting participants is authorized to receive
information at the meeting. In this embodiment, the reader device
retrieves the authorization data from each of the detected authorization
devices. The received authorization data is utilized to determine whether
each of the actual meeting participants is authorized to receive
information at the meeting. An indication is provided if one or more of
the actual meeting participants are not authorized to receive the
information. In another embodiment, the authorization data for the
expected meeting participants may be retrieved and examined prior to a
meeting to determine whether each of the expected meeting participants
has the appropriate authorization for the meeting. A notification may be
transmitted to the participant, the participant's supervisor, or other
appropriate individuals if an expected meeting participant does not have
the proper authorization. In this manner, the participant can sign the
proper confidentiality agreement and have their authorization device
programmed accordingly prior to the meeting.

[0012]Other apparatus, systems, methods, and/or computer program products
according to embodiments will be or become apparent to one with skill in
the art upon review of the following drawings and Detailed Description.
It is intended that all such additional apparatus, systems, methods,
and/or computer program products be included within this description, be
within the scope of the present invention, and be protected by the
accompanying claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0013]FIG. 1 is a system diagram showing aspects of an illustrative system
for restricting access to information provided in one embodiment
described herein;

[0014]FIG. 2 is a pictorial diagram showing aspects of an authorization
device provided in one embodiment presented herein;

[0015]FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram showing an illustrative hardware
architecture for an authorization device in one embodiment described
herein;

[0016]FIG. 4 is a memory diagram showing the contents of a memory device
utilized in an authorization device in one implementation presented
herein;

[0017]FIG. 5 is a flow diagram illustrating the operation of an
authorization device presented herein in one embodiment;

[0018]FIG. 6 is a system diagram showing aspects of an administration
device utilized in conjunction with an authorization device provided
herein in one embodiment;

[0019]FIGS. 7 and 8 are flow diagrams illustrating the operation of an
administration device for programming and resetting an authorization
device, respectively, according to various embodiments presented herein;

[0020]FIG. 9 is a system diagram illustrating aspects of a reader device
utilized in conjunction with one or more authorization devices in one
embodiment presented herein;

[0021]FIG. 10 is a flow diagram illustrating the operation of the reader
device for determining whether the actual participants at a meeting are
authorized to receive information according to one implementation
presented herein;

[0022]FIG. 11 is a flow diagram illustrating the operation of the reader
device for providing notification to one or more expected meeting
participants that are not authorized to receive information according to
one embodiment described herein; and

[0023]FIG. 12 is a computer architecture diagram showing a computer
architecture suitable for implementing the various computer systems
described herein.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0024]The following detailed description is directed to technologies for
restricting access to information. While the subject matter described
herein is presented in the general context of hardware devices, program
modules that execute in conjunction with the execution of an operating
system, and application programs executing on a computer system, those
skilled in the art will recognize that other implementations may be
performed in combination with other types of program modules.

[0025]Generally, program modules include routines, programs, components,
data structures, and other types of structures that perform particular
tasks or implement particular abstract data types. Moreover, those
skilled in the art will appreciate that the subject matter described
herein may be practiced with other computer system configurations,
including hand-held devices, multiprocessor systems, microprocessor-based
or programmable consumer electronics, minicomputers, mainframe computers,
and the like.

[0026]The subject matter described herein may be practiced in a
distributed computing environment where tasks are performed by remote
processing devices that are linked through a communications network and
wherein program modules may be located in both local and remote memory
storage devices. It should be appreciated, however, that the
implementations described herein may also be utilized in conjunction with
stand-alone computer systems and other types of computing devices.

[0027]As discussed briefly above, it can be difficult for employees of an
organization to know whether they can discuss certain information with
other employees or vendors of the organization. In order to address this
difficulty and others, the system 100 illustrated in FIG. 1 is presented.
In one embodiment, the system 100 includes the authorization devices 102,
102A, 102B, and 102C. Each of the authorization devices 102, 102A, 102B,
and 102C is associated with a person. For instance, as shown in FIG. 1,
the authorization device 102 is associated with the person 104, the
authorization device 102A is associated with the person 104A, the
authorization device 102B is associated with the person 104B, and the
authorization device 102C is associated with the person 104C. According
to embodiments, an organization may require that each person 104 within
the organization is assigned an authorization device 102 and that each
person 104 carry their assigned authorization device 102 at all times. It
should be appreciated, therefore, that more or fewer authorization
devices 102 might be utilized than illustrated in FIG. 1.

[0028]As will be discussed in greater detail below, each of the
authorization devices 102, 102A, 102B, and 102C is operative to detect
other proximately located authorization devices 102. For instance, each
of the authorization devices 102, 102A, 102B, and 102C is operative to
detect another authorization device 102 within a proximate area 108. In
one implementation, the area 108 is approximately the area in which a
human voice may be heard. For instance, as shown in FIG. 1, the
authorization devices 104, 104A, and 104B can detect one another within
the area 108. The area 108 is approximately equal to the area within
which a human voice, such as the voice of one of the persons 104, 104A,
or 104B may be heard. In this manner, the presence of the persons 104,
104A, and 104B can be detected and an inadvertent disclosure of
confidential information to these persons can be avoided. Because the
authorization device 102C is outside the area 108, the authorization
devices 102, 102A, or 102B would not detect the presence of this device
102C. Because the authorization device 102C is out of earshot, however,
the person 104C would not be able to hear a confidential conversation
between the persons 104, 104A, and 104B.

[0029]In one implementation, each of the authorization devices 102, 102A,
102B, and 102C utilizes a low-power short-range wireless radio signal to
detect other proximately located authorization devices 102. For instance,
as shown in FIG. 1, each of the authorization devices 102, 102A, 102B,
and 102C may transmit a wireless signal 106, 106A, 106B, and 106C,
respectively, that can be received by other authorization devices 102
that are proximately located. In embodiments, the BLUETOOTH wireless
radio standard may be utilized for the transmission of the wireless
signals 106, 106A, 106B, and 106C. In other implementations, the WI-FI
wireless radio standard may be utilized. It should be appreciated,
however, that virtually any short-range wireless radio standard might be
utilized. It should also be appreciated that other technologies may be
utilized to enable each of the authorization devices 102, 102A, 102B, and
102C to detect other proximately located authorization devices 102. For
instance, each of the authorization devices 102, 102A, 102B, and 102C may
be equipped with a global positioning system ("GPS") receiver for
determining its geographic location. Other similar technologies may also
be utilized for detecting proximately located authorization devices.

[0030]As will also be described in greater detail below, each of the
authorization devices 102, 102A, 102B, and 102C may be programmed with
authorization data for the associated person 104, 104A, 104B, and 104C,
respectively. The authorization data identifies the topics on which the
associated person 104 is authorized to receive information. For instance,
in one implementation, the authorization data comprises a list of the
confidentiality agreements that the person 104 associated with the
authorization device 102 has signed. When two authorization devices 102
detect one another, they exchange the stored authorization data with one
another. Each device then compares its stored authorization data with the
authorization data received from the detected device 102 to determine if
the person 104 associated with the detected authorization device 102 is
authorized to receive information. Each authorization device 102 then
provides an indication, such as a visual or audible indication, as to
whether the person associated with the detected authorization device 102
is authorized to receive the information. Additional details regarding
the operation of the authorization devices 102, 102A, 102B, and 102C in
this regard is provided below.

[0031]Referring now to FIG. 2, an illustrative authorization device 102
provided in one implementation will be described. As shown in FIG. 2, the
authorization device 102 comprises a battery-powered hand-held computing
device in one implementation. As discussed briefly above, the
authorization device 102 may periodically attempt to detect other
proximately located authorization devices 102. The authorization device
102 may also include a button that allows a user to manually cause a
search to be made for proximately located authorization devices 102. In
one embodiment, a power on/off button 214 may be utilized to both power
the device 102 on and off and to cause a search to be made for
proximately located devices 102 when pressed momentarily.

[0032]According to aspects, the authorization device 102 includes a
display screen 202 for providing information regarding the operation of
the authorization device 102, such as identifying detected authorization
devices 102, providing a visual indication of the authorization data
received from detected authorization devices 102, and other data.
Selection buttons 210 and 212 may be utilized to cause the authorization
device 102 to scroll through information presented on the display screen
202.

[0033]According to aspects, the authorization device 102 may also include
one or more lighted buttons 204. The lighted buttons 204 may be assigned
to a particular confidentiality agreement and pressed to view the
assigned agreement on the display screen 202. The lighted buttons 204 may
also be lit when a detected authorization device 102 includes the
corresponding confidentiality agreement in its authorization data. The
lighted buttons 204 may be flashed or lit in another color when a
detected authorization device 102 does not include the corresponding
confidentiality agreement in its authorization data. It should be
appreciated that more or fewer lighted buttons 204 may be utilized and
that other types of buttons, lights, or displays may be utilized to
provide this functionality.

[0034]According to implementations, the authorization device 102 also
includes an indicator light 206 and an indicator light 208. The indicator
light 206 is utilized to provide a visual indication when all of the
authorization data received from a detected authorization device matches
the authorization data stored in the authorization device 102. For
instance, the indicator light 206 will be illuminated in one embodiment
if the stored authorization data identifies all of the same
confidentiality agreements as stored in the detected authorization device
102. The indicator light 208 may be illuminated if some, but not all, of
the stored authorization data matches the authorization data received
from a detected device authorization device 102. It should be appreciated
that although visual indicators have been described above with respect to
the lighted buttons 204 and the indicator lights 206 and 208, other types
of indications may be provided. For instance, an audible indication may
be provided through the use of a speaker or a tactile indication may be
provided through the use of a vibration module. Any suitable indication
may be provided to indicate to a user of the authorization device 102
that a person associated with a detected device is or is not authorized
to discuss certain information. All of these types of indications may be
temporarily or permanently disabled through the selection of a mute
button 216.

[0035]According to other implementations, the authorization device 102
includes a computer interface port 218. The computer interface port 218
allows a computer 222 to be interfaced to the authorization device 102.
The computer interface port 218 may comprise a universal serial bus
("USB") communications port, a FIREWIRE communications port, or other
type of communications port suitable for connecting a computing device to
the computer 222. Alternatively, the computer interface port 218 may
comprise a wireless communications port for communicating with the
device, such as a BLUETOOTH or WI-FI communications port. Through such a
connection, a configuration application 224 executing on the computer 222
may be utilized to configure the operation of the authorization device
102. For instance, the configuration application 224 may be utilized to
assign particular confidentiality agreements to the lighted buttons 204,
to configure the manner in which indications are provided, to assign
particular sounds to confidentiality agreements or other types of
indications, and to configure other aspects of the operation of the
authorization device 102. Power received on the computer interface port
218 may also be utilized to charge a rechargeable battery contained
within the authorization device 102. The authorization device 102 may
also include a power port 220 for connecting an external direct current
("DC") adapter for charging the rechargeable battery.

[0036]Turning now to FIG. 3, an illustrative hardware architecture 300 for
the authorization device 102 will be presented. As shown in FIG. 3, the
hardware architecture 300 includes a central processing unit ("CPU") 302
that controls the operation of the authorization device 102 by executing
software stored in a non-volatile memory 304. The contents of the memory
304 will be discussed below with respect to FIG. 4. The CPU 302 also
interfaces with an input/output ("I/O") controller 310 to control the
operation of indicator lights 320, the display 202, input controls 312,
an I/O module 314, a wireless I/O module 306, a sound device 316, and a
vibration module 308. A power source 318, such as a rechargeable battery,
powers the operation of the CPU 302, the I/O controller 310, and the
other components described above. The input controls 312 may include
buttons contained within the lighted buttons 204, the selection buttons
210 and 212, the power on/off button 214, and the mute button 216.

[0037]According to embodiments, the wireless I/O module 306 comprises a
low-power wireless transceiver for generating the low-power short-range
wireless radio signal described above with reference to FIG. 1.
Therefore, the wireless I/O module 306 may be compatible with the
BLUETOOTH or WI-FI wireless radio standards. Other types of low-power
short-range wireless radio signals may be similarly utilized. The
indicator lights 320 may comprise the indicator lights 206 and 208 and
the lights contained in the lighted buttons 204, described above. Other
lights and indicators may also be present on the authorization device
102. According to embodiments, the input controls 302 include the mute
button 216, the on/off button 214, the lighted buttons 204, and the
selection buttons 210 and 212. It should be appreciated that although the
authorization device 102 has been described as having a separate display
202 and separate input controls, these input and output devices may be
merged through the use of a touch-sensitive display screen. Other types
of input devices and output devices may also be utilized.

[0038]In addition to providing a visual indication through the use of the
indicator lights 320, the authorization device 102 may provide an audible
indication through the use of the sound device 316. The sound device 316
may comprise a small amplifier and speaker or other type of device
capable of generating an audible signal. A tactile indication may also be
provided through the use of the vibration module 308. The vibration
module 308 comprises any type of device capable of causing the
authorization device 102 to vibrate when activated. It should be
appreciated that the hardware architecture shown in FIG. 3 and described
above is merely illustrative and that fewer or more components may be
included than those shown in FIG. 3.

[0039]Referring now to FIG. 4, an illustrative software architecture
utilized by the authorization device 102 will be presented. In
particular, FIG. 4 illustrates the contents of the memory device 304. As
shown in FIG. 4, the memory device 304 is utilized to store an
authorization device program 402, which is executed by the CPU 302 to
control the operation of the authorization device 102. Details regarding
the processing steps performed by the authorization device program 402
are described below.

[0040]The memory device 304 is also utilized to hold a data store 404. The
data store 404 includes user data 406, device configuration data 408, and
authorization data 410. The user data 406 includes data identifying the
user associated with a particular authorization device 102. For instance,
according to implementations, the user data 406 may include the name,
identifier, and other information for the person with which the
authorization device 102 is associated. In the case of a vendor, the user
data 410 may include detailed information regarding the employer of the
person with which the authorization device 102 is associated. The device
configuration data 408 includes data generated by the configuration
application 224 that defines how the authorization device 102 should
operate. For instance, data defining user preferences for how the
authorization device 102 should operate may be stored in the device
configuration data 408 by the configuration application 224.

[0041]The authorization data 410 identifies the topics on which the person
104 associated with the authorization device 102 is authorized to receive
information. For instance, in one implementation, the authorization data
410 comprises a list of the confidentiality agreements that the person
104 associated with the authorization device 102 has signed. In one
embodiment, an expiration date may also be stored in the authorization
data 410 corresponding to each confidentiality agreement. Once the
expiration data has passed, the corresponding authorization data will no
longer be considered valid. Additional details regarding the operation of
the authorization device program 402 and the use of the authorization
data 410 will be provided below with respect to FIG. 5.

[0042]Turning now to FIG. 5, an exemplary routine 500 will be described
that illustrates the operation of the authorization device 102 according
to one embodiment presented herein. It should be appreciated that the
logical operations described herein are implemented (1) as a sequence of
computer implemented acts or program modules running on a computing
system and/or (2) as interconnected machine logic circuits or circuit
modules within the computing system. The implementation is a matter of
choice dependent on the performance requirements of the computing system.
Accordingly, the logical operations described herein are referred to
variously as operations, structural devices, acts, or modules. These
operations, structural devices, acts and modules may be implemented in
software, in firmware, in special purpose digital logic, and any
combination. It should also be appreciated that more or fewer operations
than shown may be performed and that the operations may be performed in a
different order.

[0043]The routine 500 begins at operation 502, where the authorization
device 102 detects other authorization devices 102 that are proximately
located. As discussed above, detection may be performed periodically by
the authorization device 102 or may be performed in response to a user
request. As also discussed briefly above, the authorization device 102
transmits a wireless radio signal utilizing the wireless I/O module 306
in order to detect other proximately located authorization devices 102.

[0044]From operation 502, the routine 500 continues to operation 504,
where the authorization device 102 determines whether any other
authorization devices 102 were detected in a proximate area. If not, the
routine 500 returns to operation 502, where another attempt may be made
to detect proximately located authorization devices 102. If any
authorization devices 102 are detected, the routine 500 continues to
operation 506 where the authorization device 102 that performed the
detection operation receives the authorization data 410 from any detected
authorization devices 102. The authorization data 410 is received
wirelessly via the wireless radio signal generated by the wireless I/O
module 306. Once the authorization data 410 has been received, the
routine 500 continues to operation 508.

[0045]At operation 508, the authorization device 102 compares its stored
authorization data 410 to the authorization data 410 received from a
detected authorization device 102. For instance, in an embodiment wherein
the authorization data 410 comprises a list of confidentiality agreements
signed by the associated person, the authorization device 102 may compare
the confidentiality agreements to determine whether all, some, or none of
the agreements match. For each agreement that is identified in both
authorization devices 102, an indication may be provided that disclosure
of information under the agreement is permissible. For each agreement for
which no match is found, an indication may be provided that no disclosure
should be made. This process is described below.

[0046]From operation 508, the routine 500 continues to operation 510,
where the authorization device 102 determines whether all of its stored
authorization data 410 matches the authorization data 410 received from a
detected device 102. If so, the routine 500 branches from operation 510
to operation 512 where an indication is provided that all of the
authorization data 410 matches. For instance, the indicator light 206 may
be illuminated to indicate that all of the authorization data 410
matches. As discussed above, another type of indication may also be
provided. From operation 512, the routine 500 returns to operation 502,
discussed above.

[0047]If, at operation 510, the authorization device 102 determines that
only some of its stored authorization data 410 matches the authorization
data 410 received from a detected device 102 (e.g. the person associated
with a detected authorization device 102 has signed only some of the
confidentiality agreements identified in the stored authorization data
410), the routine 500 branches to operation 516. At operation 516, the
authorization device 102 provides an indication that only some of the
authorization data 410 matches. For instance, in one implementation, the
indicator light 208 may be illuminated. In another embodiment, the
particular lighted buttons 204 may be illuminated that correspond to the
authorization data 410 that matches. An identifier for the matching
authorization data 410 may also be presented in the display 202. The
selection buttons 210 and 212 may be utilized to scroll the display
through the appropriate authorization data 410. Other types of
indications may also be provided. From operation 516, the routine 500
returns to operation 502, discussed above.

[0048]If, at operation 518, the authorization device 102 determines that
none of its stored authorization data 410 matches the authorization data
410 received from a detected device 102 (e.g. the person associated with
a detected authorization device 102 has not signed any of the
confidentiality agreements identified in the stored authorization data
410), the routine 500 continues from operation 514 to operation 518. At
operation 518, the authorization device 102 provides an indication that
none of the authorization data 410 matches. This may include, for
example, providing a visual, audible, or tactile indication to the user
that the person associated with the detected authorization device 102 is
not authorized to receive any information. From operation 518, the
routine 500 returns to operation 502, discussed above.

[0049]Referring now to FIG. 6, aspects of device administration
application 602 provided in one implementation presented herein will be
described. As shown in FIG. 6 the administration application 602 is
provided in one implementation for use by an administrator to reset an
authorization device 102 and to program the authorization data 410 into
an authorization device 102. In one implementation the administration
application 602 is utilized in conjunction with a computer 222 executing
the device administration application 602. The device administration
application 602 provides functionality for receiving the authorization
data 410 for a user and for programming the received authorization data
410 into the authorization device 102. For instance, the device
administration application 602 may receive identifiers for one or more
confidentiality agreements signed by a person associated with the
authorization device 102. In response thereto, the device administration
application 602 may program this data into the authorization device 102
for use in the manner described above. The device administration
application 602 may include appropriate security mechanisms to ensure
that only an authorized administrator can program the authorization
device 102.

[0050]According to implementations, the device administration application
602 may communicate with the authorization device 102 by way of the
wireless signal 106. Alternatively, the administration device 602 may be
connected to the authorization device 102 with a wired connection (not
shown in FIG. 6). According to yet another implementation, the
authorization device 102 may be connected directly to the computer 222
through a suitable wired or wireless connection for programming without
the use of the administration device 602. FIGS. 7 and 8 illustrate
processes performed by the device administration application 602 for
programming and resetting the authorization device 102, respectively.

[0051]Turning now to FIG. 7, an exemplary routine 700 will be described
illustrating the programming of the authorization device 102. Each
authorization device 102 initially contains no user data 406 or
authorization data 410. In order to program the user data 406 and the
authorization data 410, an administrator establishes a connection to the
authorization device 102 to be programmed in the manner described above
with respect to FIG. 6.

[0052]Once a connection to the authorization device 102 has been
established, the administrator provides the user data 406 to be
programmed into the authorization device 102. For instance, the
administrator may provide the name and employee number of an employee
that will be associated with the authorization device 102 being
programmed. This user data 406 is then programmed into the authorization
device 102 at operation 702 by the device administration application 602.

[0053]Once the user data 406 has been programmed into the authorization
device 102, the routine 700 then continues to operation 704. At operation
704, the administrator provides the authorization data 410 to be
programmed in the authorization device 102 to the device administration
application 602. For instance, the administrator may provide identifiers
for all of the confidentiality agreements that the employee has signed.
The device administration application 602 programs this information into
the authorization device 102 at operation 704. Once the user data 406 and
the authorization data 410 have been programmed into the authorization
device 102, the routine 700 continues to operation 706, where it ends.

[0054]Referring now to FIG. 8, an illustrative routine 800 will be
described illustrating the resetting of the authorization device 102.
According to embodiments, the memory device 304 of the authorization
device 102 may be reprogrammed with user data 406 and authorization data
410. In this way, each authorization device 102 can be reassigned to a
new person and reprogrammed. This may be useful, for instance, to reuse
the authorization device 102 after an employee leaves employment with a
company. In order to reset the user data 406 and the authorization data
410, an administrator establishes a connection to the authorization
device 102 to be programmed in the manner described above with respect to
FIG. 6.

[0055]Once a connection to the authorization device 102 has been
established, the device administration application 602 erases the user
data 406. This occurs at operation 802. Once the user data 406 has been
erased, the routine 800 continues to operation 804, where the
authorization data 410 is also erased. Once the authorization data 410
has been erased, the authorization device 102 is in condition for
programming for a new user in the manner described above with reference
to FIG. 7. From operation 804, the routine 800 continues to operation
806, where it ends.

[0056]Turning now to FIG. 9, a system 900 will be described that includes
a reader device 902 utilized in conjunction with one or more
authorization devices 102, 102A, and 102B in one embodiment presented
herein. As shown in FIG. 9, the reader device 902 interfaces with the
computer 222 and operates in conjunction with a device reader application
903 executing on the computer 222. The reader device 902 provides
functionality for detecting all of the authorization devices 102, 102A,
and 102B within the proximate area 108.

[0057]In order to detect the authorization devices 102, 102A, and 102B,
the reader device 902 may transmit the wireless signal 106 compatible
with the wireless signals utilized by the authorization devices 102,
102A, and 102B. As shown in FIG. 9, the reader device 902 may include a
display screen for presenting information regarding the authorization
devices 102, 102A, and 102B with which it is communicating. The reader
device 902 may also include some or all of the other hardware and
software components described above with respect to FIGS. 2 and 3. In
other embodiments, the computer 222 is operative to detect the
authorization devices 102, 102A, and 102B without the use of the reader
device 902 utilizing an integrated or external wireless adapter, such as
a BLUETOOTH adapter.

[0058]As will be described in greater detail below with respect to FIG.
10, the device reader application 903 operates in conjunction with the
reader device 902. In particular, in one embodiment, the device reader
application 903 may receive the identities of a number of expected
participants at a meeting, such as from a calendar item for the meeting
stored by a calendar application 904 or manually from a user. The device
reader application 903 may also utilize the reader device 902 to detect
the number of actual participants at the meeting by detecting
authorization devices 102, 102A, and 102B that are present within the
proximate area 108. If the number and identities of the actual attendees
at the meeting do not match the number and identities of the expected
attendees at the meeting, the device reader application 903 may provide
an indication to an administrator. In this manner, an administrator can
guarantee that only the expected meeting attendees are present at a
meeting. The device reader application 903 can also retrieve the
authorization data 410 from each of the detected authorization devices
102. The retrieved data can be utilized to determine whether all of the
actual participants at the meeting are authorized to receive the
information that is the subject of the meeting. Additional details
regarding these processes are provided below with respect to FIG. 10.

[0059]As also shown in FIG. 9, the computer 222 may establish a connection
to an authorization data database 908 via a network 906. The
authorization data database 908 is utilized to store the user data 406
and the authorization data 410 for each of the persons 104, 104A, and
104B. Once the actual attendees at a meeting have been identified in the
manner described above, the device reader application 903 can retrieve
the authorization data 410 for each of the actual meeting attendees. The
device reader application 903 then compares the authorization data 410
for each of the attendees to an identifier for the information to be
discussed at a meeting, such as a number corresponding to a
confidentiality agreement covering the subject matter of the meeting.
This information may be obtained manually from a user or from the
calendar application 904. Based on this comparison, the device reader
application 903 can determine whether all of the attendees have
authorization to receive the information that is the subject of the
meeting. If not, an indication may be provided to a user of the device
reader application 903. This process may also be performed prior to a
meeting time to ensure that all expected meeting attendees have the
proper authorization prior to the scheduled meeting time. Details
regarding this embodiment are provided below with respect to FIG. 11.

[0060]Referring now to FIG. 10, a routine 1000 will be described that
illustrates the operation of the reader device 902 and the device reader
application 903 for determining whether the actual participants at a
meeting are authorized to receive information in one implementation
presented herein. The routine 1000 begins at operation 1002, where the
device reader application 903 receives data identifying the number and
identities of the expected participants at a meeting. The device reader
application 903 also receives an identifier for the information to be
discussed at a meeting, such as the number corresponding to a
confidentiality agreement covering the subject matter of the meeting. As
discussed above, this information may be retrieved from the calendar
application 904, provided manually by a user, or obtained from another
location. Once this information has been received, the routine 1000
continues to operation 1004.

[0061]At operation 1004, the device reader application 903 operates in
conjunction with the reader device 902 in the manner described above to
detect all of the proximately located authorization devices 102. Once the
authorization devices 102 have been detected, the routine 1000 continues
to operation 1006, where the device reader application 903 determines
whether the number of expected participants at the meeting is equal to
the number of detected authorization devices 102. If the number of
expected participants is not equal to the number of detected
authorization devices 102, the routine 1000 branches from operation 1008
to operation 1010.

[0062]At operation 1010, the device reader application 903 provides an
indication to a user indicating that there are more or less than the
number of expected meeting participants present. The identities of the
actual participants, as based on the user data 406 stored in the detected
authorization devices 102, may also be displayed. In this manner, a
meeting administrator or organizer can ensure that only the proper
individuals are present at a meeting. Once the notification has been
provided, the routine 1000 continues from operation 1010 to operation
1012.

[0063]At operation 1012, the device reader application 903 determines
whether all of the actual meeting participants, as based on the user data
406 stored in the detected authorization devices 102, are authorized to
receive the information that is the subject of the meeting. This is
accomplished by comparing the authorization data 410 retrieved from the
detected authorization devices 102 to an identifier for the information
to be discussed at a meeting, such as the number corresponding to a
confidentiality agreement covering the subject matter of the meeting. If
some of the actual participants are not authorized to receive the
information, the routine 1000 branches from operation 1012 to operation
1014, where the device reader application 903 provides an indication that
all of the present attendees are not authorized to receive the
information that is the subject of the meeting. The device reader
application 903 may specifically provide a display identifying the
non-authorized but present participants. If all of the actual
participants are authorized, the routine 1000 continues from operation
1012 to operation 1016, where it ends.

[0064]Turning now to FIG. 11, a routine 1100 illustrating the operation of
the device reader application 902 in one embodiment for providing
notification that one or more expected meeting participants are not
authorized to receive information that is the subject of a meeting will
be described. It should be appreciated that in one implementation the
routine 1100 is performed by the device reader application 903 prior to a
meeting in order to identify expected participants that do not have the
required authorization and to provide a notification to such participants
with sufficient notice to allow them to obtain the proper authorization
prior to the scheduled meeting start time. For instance, the routine 1100
shown in FIG. 11 may be performed two hours prior to the start of a
meeting.

[0065]The routine 1100 begins at operation 1102, where the device reader
application 903 receives data identifying the number and identities of
the expected participants at a meeting. The device reader application 903
also receives an identifier for the information to be disclosed at the
meeting, such as the number corresponding to a confidentiality agreement
covering the subject matter of the meeting. As discussed above, this
information may be retrieved from the calendar application 904, provided
manually by a user, or obtained from another location. Once this
information has been received, the routine 1100 continues to operation
1104.

[0066]At operation 1104, the device reader application 903 retrieves the
authorization data 410 for each of the expected meeting participants from
the authorization data database 908. The device reader application 903
utilizes this information to determine whether each of the expected
meeting participants has the appropriate authorization to receive the
information that is the subject of the scheduled meeting. Once this
determination has been made, the routine 1100 continues to operation
1106, where the device reader application 903 causes a notification to be
transmitted to each expected meeting participant that does not have the
appropriate authorization for the meeting. Notifications may also be
transmitted to other responsible individuals, such as supervisory
employees, administrators, and the like. The notification may take the
form of an e-mail message, short messaging system ("SMS") message, voice
mail, or other type of notification. Once the notification has been
transmitted, the routine 1100 proceeds from operation 1106 to operation
1108, where it ends.

[0067]Referring now to FIG. 12, an illustrative computer architecture for
a computer 1200 utilized in the various embodiments presented herein will
be discussed. The computer architecture shown in FIG. 12 illustrates a
conventional desktop, laptop computer, or server computer, and may be
utilized to embody the computer 222 or any of the other computer systems
described herein. The computer architecture shown in FIG. 12 includes a
CPU 1202, a system memory 1208, including a random access memory 1214
("RAM") and a read-only memory ("ROM") 1216, and a system bus 1204 that
couples the memory to the CPU 1202. A basic input/output system ("BIOS")
containing the basic routines that help to transfer information between
elements within the computer 1200, such as during startup, is stored in
the ROM 1216. The computer 1200 further includes a mass storage device
1210 for storing an operating system 1218, application programs, and
other program modules, which will be described in greater detail below.

[0068]The mass storage device 1210 is connected to the CPU 1202 through a
mass storage controller (not shown) connected to the bus 1204. The mass
storage device 1210 and its associated computer-readable media provide
non-volatile storage for the computer 1200. Although the description of
computer-readable media contained herein refers to a mass storage device,
such as a hard disk or CD-ROM drive, it should be appreciated by those
skilled in the art that computer-readable media can be any available
media that can be accessed by the computer 1200.

[0069]By way of example, and not limitation, computer-readable media may
include volatile and non-volatile, removable and non-removable media
implemented in any method or technology for storage of information such
as computer-readable instructions, data structures, program modules or
other data. For example, computer-readable media includes, but is not
limited to, RAM, ROM, EPROM, EEPROM, flash memory or other solid state
memory technology, CD-ROM, digital versatile disks (DVD), HD-DVD,
BLU-RAY, or other optical storage, magnetic cassettes, magnetic tape,
magnetic disk storage or other magnetic storage devices, or any other
medium which can be used to store the desired information and which can
be accessed by the computer 1200.

[0070]According to various embodiments, the computer 1200 may operate in a
networked environment using logical connections to remote computers
through the network 906. The network 906 may include a wireless network
such as, but not limited to, a wireless local network ("WLAN") such as a
WI-FI network, a wireless wide area network ("WWAN"), a wireless personal
area network ("WPAN") such as BLUETOOTH, a wireless metropolitan area
network ("WMAN") such a WiMAX network, a cellular network, or a satellite
network. Alternatively, the network 906 may be a wired network such as,
but not limited to, a wired WAN, a wired LAN such as the Ethernet, a
wired PAN, or a wired MAN.

[0071]The computer 1200 may connect to the network 906 through a network
interface unit 1206 connected to the bus 1204. It should be appreciated
that the network interface unit 1206 may also be utilized to connect to
other types of networks and remote computer systems. The computer 1200
may also include an input/output controller 1212 for receiving and
processing input from a number of other devices, including a keyboard,
mouse, or electronic stylus (not shown in FIG. 12). Similarly, an
input/output controller may provide output to a display screen, a
printer, or other type of output device (also not shown in FIG. 12).

[0072]As mentioned briefly above, a number of program modules and data
files may be stored in the mass storage device 1210 and RAM 1214 of the
computer 1200, including the operating system 1218 suitable for
controlling the operation of a networked desktop or server computer, such
as the WINDOWS XP or WINDOWS VISTA operating systems from MICROSOFT
CORPORATION of Redmond, Wash. Other operating systems, such as the LINUX
operating system or the OSX operating system from APPLE COMPUTER, INC.
may be utilized. It should be appreciated that the implementations
presented herein may be embodied using a desktop or laptop computer or
any other computing devices or systems or combinations thereof.

[0073]The mass storage device 1210 and RAM 1214 may also store one or more
program modules. In particular, the mass storage device 1210 and the RAM
1214 may store the configuration application 224, the device
administration application 602, the device reader application 903, and
the calendar application 904. Each of these program modules has been
described above. Other program modules may also be stored within the mass
storage device 1210 and the RAM 1214.

[0074]Based on the foregoing, it should be appreciated that apparatus,
systems, methods, and computer-readable media for restricting access to
information are provided herein. Although the subject matter presented
herein has been described in language specific to computer structural
features, methodological acts, and computer readable media, it is to be
understood that the invention defined in the appended claims is not
necessarily limited to the specific features, acts, or media described
herein. Rather, the specific features, acts and mediums are disclosed as
example forms of implementing the claims.

[0075]The subject matter described above is provided by way of
illustration only and should not be construed as limiting. Various
modifications and changes may be made to the subject matter described
herein without following the example embodiments and applications
illustrated and described, and without departing from the true spirit and
scope of the present invention, which is set forth in the following
claims.